Testosterone Enanthate Steroid Profile
Pharmaceutical Name: Testosterone (with enanthate ester)
Molecular Weight: 412.6112
Molecular Weight of Base: 288.429
Molecular Weight of Ester: 130.1864
Formula of Base: C19 H28 O2
Formula of Ester: C7 H12 O
Melting Point of Base: 155 Celsius
Active life: 15-16 days
Anabolic/Androgenic ratio:100/100
Testosterone is responsible for the development and maintenance of male
secondary sex characteristics. This includes it being a highly anabolic and
androgenic hormone, therefore being capable of increasing users' muscle mass
and strength/power when administered at larger than normal doses in the body.
The testosterone enanthate compound itself is an injectable oil which contains
testosterone with the enanthate ester attached to the testosterone molecule.
When the enanthate ester is adding to testosterone base, it creates a
long-acting form of testosterone. This requires a user to only inject the
compound once or twice per week to maintain fairly stable levels of the
compound, something that is obviously an advantage. Blood levels of
testosterone enanthate will fall rather dramatically five days after it is
administered, however the level of the compound should still be well above
baseline after a week. This is quite similar to the cypionate ester. In fact,
testosterone cypionate and enanthate are basically interchangeable in terms of
active life and half life, including almost identical release patterns.
Enanthate was primarily manufactured in other areas of the world outside of
North America. Cypionate was the ester of choice for North American companies
in the early stages of anabolic steroid development. However now both of these
esters are used throughout the world having both maintained their popularity
with users. They are both widely available.
Testosterone is able to promote strength increases and muscular growth via
numerous mechanisms. Of course first off testosterone promotes nitrogen
retention in muscle therefore allowing the muscles to hold more protein and
enabling repair and growth of those muscles. Secondly testosterone binds to
the androgen receptor to promote receptor dependant mechanisms for muscular
growth and fat loss. Testosterone also helps to increase the concentrations of
androgen receptors in cells that are important for muscle growth and repair in
muscle(1).
As mentioned, testosterone can play a role in promoting fat loss. Testosterone
has the ability to bind to the androgen receptors in fat cells. This can
enable the breakdown of body fat while and also deters new fat formation (2).
Of course due to the fact that testosterone will encourage muscular growth,
indirectly it will promote fat reduction because any excess calories are
likely to be used in the muscle building process rather than being added as
body fat.
Like most anabolic steroids, testosterone also increases red blood cell
production. An increased number of red blood cells in the blood can improve
endurance via better oxygenated blood as well as improving a user's ability to
recuperate after strenuous physical activity. However it should be noted that
there are other steroids and compounds out there that are far more adept at
this function.
Among the other mechanisms that testosterone can help promote anabolism are
via the increased production of insulin growth factor 1 it encourages, as well
as suppressing the action of catabolic hormones in the body. In terms of
performance enhancement, testosterone also offers numerous advantages. Namely
it has the ability to increase the number of motor neurons in muscles and
thereby improving muscular contraction. Like many other anabolic steroids
testosterone also promotes glycogen synthesis. This will of course help to
improve a user's endurance and strength by providing more fuel for intense
workouts thus increasing endurance and strength, as glycogen is stored
carbohydrates used as a fuel during exercise (3).
Some users believe that testosterone enanthate should be reserved for
"bulking" cycles and is not appropriate for those cycles in which a user is
hoping to reduce body fat. However this is a misnomer as the ester of the
compound can not alter it's physiological effects. Depending on the diet and
training routine of the user, testosterone enanthate can be used quite
effectively for either mass building or cutting cycles. This belief that
enanthate should only be used for bulking cycles may originate from the fact
that a majority of users anecdotally report that they experience more water
retention/bloat while using testosterone enanthate in comparison to other
shorter acting testosterone esters. This water retention and bloat would
seemingly make the user appear "puffy" and therefore may lead the individual
to believe that they are indeed increasing their body fat, while the lack of
water retention that they experience with the shorter acting esters may make
them think that they are reducing their body fat when that may not be the
case.
However, a minority of users also report that they hold less water while using
testosterone enanthate than testosterone propionate. This again demonstrates
that individuals react quite differently to various compounds. Experimentation
with the various compounds is the only sure way to see how you react.
Use and Dosing of Testosterone Enanthate
The ester enanthate is seven carbons in length. Due to this length the
majority of the compound is stored in the adipose tissue when injected
intramuscularly. In doing so it is steadily released over a period of time. A
peak in the blood level of the compound is reached after 24-48 hours after the
injection followed by a slow decline. This requires that a user wait about
fourteen days after the last injection to begin their post-cycle therapy to
ensure that the compound has completely cleared the system of the user.
In terms of an actual injection schedule most users will inject testosterone
enanthate twice per week. However, some users will administer the compound
only once per week or may choose to inject several times per week. The more
frequently a user injects the more stable the blood levels of the compound
will be, assuming of course that the doses are equally distributed and of the
same amount.
As with the other testosterone esters, the doses of the drug that are taken by
users varies to a great degree depending on the experience and goals of the
user. Doses as low as 200-250mgs per week have been reported by users who say
they have made good gains, with experienced users administering several grams
of testosterone per week. The range of use is very wide. This also includes
women administering testosterone. It is because of the long active life of the
enanthate ester, it is not recommended that women who choose to administer
testosterone use it or other long-estered formulas. This is due to the fact
that slow acting esters can not be quickly altered if negative side effects
become overly burdensome. By having to deal with the slow release of the
testosterone and not being able to lower doses or cease administration of the
compound immediately, it makes it much more likely that any side effects that
are experienced will be more pronounced and/or exaggerated. For this reason,
females who use testosterone may want to begin with testosterone propionate or
suspension when choosing which ester to use and not enanthate.
Risks andSide Effects Testosterone Enanthate
Most of the side effects that result from using testosterone in males is
related to testosterone's high tendency to convert into estrogen via the
aromatase enzyme. These side effects can include water retention and
gynecomastia. Users often complain that water retention is much more severe
with longer acting esters than with shorter acting esters such as propionate.
To combat these side effects users can use aromatase inhibitors and/or
selective estrogen receptor modulators. Of course the likelihood of estrogen
related side effects increase as the dosages are raised. However these should
be controllable if the proper precautions taken.
Of course being testosterone, user's should also expect to deal with
androgenic side effects as a possibility. These side effects can include
facial/body hair growth, exacerbation of male pattern baldness, and oily
skin/acne, among others. Some users may wish to use products such as Proscar/Propecia
to reduce the amount of testosterone that converts to dihydrotestosterone.
Finasteride is also an option that users' can pursue.
Due to the suppression of natural testosterone levels, testicular atrophy is
also likely to occur in some individuals. Use of human chorionic gonadotropin
can help to prevent this, among it's other effects. Of course a proper
post-cycle therapy should be run once administration of the compound is
completed to help recover fully functioning natural testosterone production.
Women may find that other shorter acting esters are more manageable than
longer acting such as testosterone enanthate. This is due to the fact that the
fast acting esters can be controlled easier and that the dosing and
administration of the compound can be quickly altered if negative side effects
become overly burdensome. With longer acting esters these adjustments are much
more difficult to make rapidly and side effects could become more pronounced
and/or exaggerated. For this reason, females who use testosterone may want to
at least begin with shorter acting esters if they experiment with
testosterone.
Of course with women using testosterone there is a possiblity that virilizing
symptoms could occur. Deepening of the voice, body/facial hair growth, and
enlargement of the clitoris are all possible side effects of testosterone use.
These are for the most part irreversible (4).
References
1. Schulte-Beerbuhl M, Nieschlag E. Comparison of testosterone,
dihydrotestosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone in
serum after injection of testosterone enanthate or testosterone cypionate.
Fertility and Sterility 33 (1980) 201-3.
2. Corcoran C, Grinspoon S. The use of testosterone in the AIDS wasting
syndrome. AIDS Clin Care. 1999 Apr;11(4):25-6, 33-4
3. Crawford BA, Liu PY, Kean MT, Bleasel JF, Handelsman DJ. Randomized
placebo-controlled trial of androgen effects on muscle and bone in men
requiring long-term systemic glucocorticoid treatment. J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2003 Jul;88(7):3167-76
4. Bolour S, Braunstein G. Testosterone therapy in women: a review. Int J
Impot Res. 2005 May 12
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